Faqs

Form is priority #1, start in regular position until you cannot maintain your form and then switch to your knees. If you have not mastered any of the regular push-ups yet, just start on your knees. For anyone who is not ready for push-ups on knees yet, start by leaning against something sturdy like a kitchen counter. As you get stronger, you will be able to move your feet further away from the counter for added resistance.

This is a confusing area because you can definitely improve muscle volume and tone in particular areas of your body by training that area, however you can’t lose fat “just on that bit”. Your body will naturally store fat in certain areas depending on your natural body composition

Gotta eat 90-100% clean everyday…which is definitely a challenge!!! It will come off… at the end… Those stubborn areas just take a little longer and especially with the abdominal fat. Stick with it and you will get there. These workouts are changing the chemistry in your body as well so keep your intensity up.

Are you worried that you are doing exercises that are pushing it out? Sticking to the core movements is best… planks, spiderman push-ups, etc.

When I hit a plateau, I first make sure I am doing everything I can do… getting all of my training in, resting enough, and logging my food (this one has caught up to me before). From there, I also take an inventory of the other factors in my life…

1.) Am I eating enough? (This isn’t usually a problem since my hunger takes over before I can under eat)
2.) Am I getting enough sleep? Not getting enough sleep can cause weight loss progress to come to a halt.
3.) Is there anything else affecting my hormone levels? (Including stress).

I also focus on getting stronger. I am always trying to push harder, sprint faster, and grow my muscles. Plateaus are a natural part of the fitness journey. Our bodies are really smart and if they sense any threat (famine, fight/flight, stress, etc.), they will hold onto precious body fat “just in case”.

Do you know this trainer? It sounds to me like he is fishing for new clients. I have been lifting as heavy as I can for years using a variety of periodization techniques and you see how “manly” I am… not. Those 10 pound weights WILL NOT MAKE YOU LOOK MANLY. You are totally right about trying to build more muscle to burn more calories. Your muscles will become compact and TIGHT, which is what you want.

I wouldn’t recommend any more than 5 days at 45 minutes. And even that is pushing it. Doing more “metabolic-type” workouts is a better use of your time.

Resistance! You need your strength for the weights. The HIIT zaps your energy. Save it for last.

Go for runs and lots of walks! Make a game of it! Take pics of your creative workouts! If you need to substitute in all body weight exercises (from previous months), go ahead and do that! You will not lose any ground if you do it that way. Taking dumbbells is a great idea and you can take a resistance band if you have one. Make your steady cardio something family-related where you can see the sites too!!! Have fun!!!!

Try to get rid of the temptations and stock up on good healthy treats. You will be much more prepared to handle the stress if you are eating well. You will feel like you have more control. Think what you can do to turn it around tomorrow. You will get through this and don’t turn away from the group because you’re embarrassed. Stay in the game. Stay off of the scale and just get yourself back on track with your nutrition. When you are able to, add your weight training back in. Properly fuelling your body AND your brain are most important. You will even think more clearly when you have clean nutrition. Just pick right back up where you left off.

It takes YEARS to build. This is what I mean when I say that it is HARD to build muscle especially when you are lean and doing plenty of cardio. Your body needs the extra calories in order to build. Just because it takes years to build muscles doesn’t mean you should quit. If you quit, you will NEVER build them and that is 100% guaranteed. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK and know that you are working on your masterpiece.

You just have a TON going on and you will have to complete what you can when you can. You are doing an awesome job!!! Yes, the B-vitamins and the great nutrition in the Isagenix will give you energy. I recommend the IsaLean shakes as a meal replacement and the want more energy as your pre workout drink (electrolytes and B-vitamins). I also noticed a significant difference in my energy when I started taking the Ageless Essentials with Product B.

AWESOME question!!! I would have dinner as you usually do right after you get home from the gym (will give your body time to start repairing that great work you did in the gym) and then have your T of coconut oil right before you go to bed. If you need to have it “with” something, you can always make a hot cup of tea and add it to that (if you cannot just eat it from the spoon).

Running for 40 min steady state cardio is ok. Unless you’re a long distance runner or marathon runner, it just isn’t always healthy to run like 10 miles every day just to get your cardio in, thinking that more is better for the purposes of weight loss; variety & balance is key. Try all the machines in your gym for variety so you don’t get bored with your cardio, you can even do HIIT on them too…. you can do HIIT on the stair master, elliptical & treadmill. Do they offer classes at your gym? Adding a yoga class would be awesome too!

If you would like to decrease your rest time and go on a :40 “work” :20 “rest” rotation versus the :30/:30, and increase the weight and lift at a slower pace to accommodate heavier weights, you can do that. Next month the training will change and it will have some more advanced moves now that we are all getting the hang of the weights.

You should eat carbs prior to your run just as you do and having gu gel/pieces of bars during your run will supply fuel for your long run as well. This would be more important during the warmer months when you are also drinking a larger amount of water in order to replace some of the electrolytes while you are running.

The problem I see with gel/bars is that people who are not performing long runs (such as marathons) think they need to down a bottle of Gatorade. The amount of sugar in a 32 ounce bottle of Gatorade is enough to offset the caloric deficit from the time you just spent in the gym. We really don’t need these “fake” foods when doing the training prescribed here in this challenge because we are not running the risk of depleting our bodies of the electrolytes. These training sessions should only be lasting between 45 minutes (weights only) and 1:15 (weights plus cardio).

Having that handful of mixed nuts and fruit is great for providing a bit of energy between your resistance and cardio.

Getting your blood pumping when you first get home is something I have found to be incredibly helpful. I discovered it when I had to do HIIT after work. On those days, not even my long commute can “couch” me.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your “NSV” acronym!!! Yes, this is about loving how our bodies are working for us and feeding it good fuel, and then all the other great things will follow. During the 30 seconds, I have been getting approx. 12 reps in (give/take) which is a great rep range. Go moderately heavy so you can build some quality muscle.

Ideally, the window for “refueling” your muscles is within an hour of your workout. It kind of depends on if I felt like I was going to chew my arm off DURING my workout. If I am starving, I will eat within about 30 minutes of finishing or if I can, I wait until more like the hour post workout.

SO happy to hear you love the results in your arms!!! The changes in lower body can lag by several weeks. By doing the HIIT, especially with the explosive moves of the plyos and the sprints, you will see results much quicker than if you were trying to change your body composition without this type of training.

If your workouts are suffering because of the food, you don’t have to eat right before. If you can eat something 3 hours prior to your workout, your stomach should have a chance to empty so that you don’t feel like it is going to come back …

As soon as you have reconditioned your abs “from the inside out” you can start using weights too. By doing weighted abs before you are ready, you run the risk of building up your outer ab muscles without proper inner support and can end up with extended abs.

You can do the cardio and the resistance on the same day. I recommend having a day between resistance training days and between HIIT sessions to give yourself time to recover.

A protein shake is a good option. Have another serving of protein and veggies and a table spoon of good fat (coconut oil, flax seed oil, etc.). Double or even triple up on the green veggies; sometimes I will eat 2 cups of broccoli to fill me up.

It will naturally happen and in the meantime, substitute some of the divebombers with pushups.

Sometimes our schedules don’t allow for the full training so splitting it up is necessary. If you want to do them together that is fine too!

You can just jump down but doing the full extension is harder work:)

These workouts are designed to keep you moving and your heart rate up. The trick is to maintain great form and really challenge yourself. You are going to be doing several reps during your 30 seconds and those lighter weights will really start to add up! Make sure you record the weight you are using so you can see your progress as the month progresses!

7-8 hours is ideal so our bodies will recover. Prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), decreased activity of human growth hormone (which is active during tissue repair), and decreased glycogen synthesis. All of these things will affect your ability to recover

Just 5 minutes as a warm up and 5 minutes as a finishing move:).

Yes, slightly heavy but with great form! Try to shoot for 12 reps in the 30 seconds and go from there. Some days I end up getting 15 reps with the same weight I reached 12 reps with the previous week, but felt each contraction and really focused on the muscle.

It will just take a little more time. Doing extra ab work will just add size (because you are adding muscle) so just stick with the clean eating and training. This is an interesting article by Mike Geary… a great resource: http://www.truthaboutabs.com/3-foods-to-stop-eating.html

The lat pull machine is a good replacement if you have a gym membership. If you don’t, you can do the reverse pull up at your neighbourhood park off of a railing, bike rack or swing set. You would slide your legs under the swing keeping them bent and then grab the handles and lengthen your arms straight (you’ll be hanging towards the ground) then pull your chest towards the swing set as you squeeze your back You can also do the standing resistance band row if you don’t have a bar/railing you can use.

AMRAP in 30 seconds. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest.

He can actually do your workouts with you… he will just be lifting heavier weights. These 30 second intervals are great for anyone trying to improve their fitness and lose body fat. Challenge him to mountain climbers! I want to hear you did more than him!!!

You can do the “Shoulder Blaster” HIIT here: http://www.stephaniekeenan.com/training/free-hiit-workouts/ If you are wondering how to do some of the moves, they are all the Fast and the Furious videos. Have fun!!!

You are great to do both. If you feel like you are not recovering, I would recommend splitting them up. If you want to add an extra serving of starch into your last meal for energy, go for it because you will have just finished working out.